Cheerleading Cheers

Cheerleading cheers are the basis of all cheerleading. When cheerleading was first invented in the late 1800s, it consisted only of cheers, no dancing or stunts. Johnny Campbell created the first organized cheer when he stood up at a University of Minnesota football game and shouted “Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!”

Cheers are used to first get the attention of the crowd, and then get the crowd motivated. By motivating the crowd to cheer for the home team, the theory is that the players will work harder to win the game. Cheerleaders often use a rhythmic clap or stomp in unison to give the cheer a beat. Cheers in which stomping is used works best for basketball as the court carries the sound. The cheer may occur during a break in the action of the game or at half time. Almost all cheers are short – usually taking only 30 seconds or less.

Most cheerleading squads have a list of cheerleading cheers that they use during each sporting event. Some cheers that might be used include:

• Clap your hands stomp your feet (Team name) can't be beat Go (team color) go (other color) Come on team you can do it Just put some power to it Goooooooo (team name)

• We are the (team name) And We are the best We are the Champions Above all the Rest!

Some of the cheers can be interactive between the cheerleaders and the crowd. A good example of that is for the cheerleaders to say “Let’s Go” and the crowd responds with the team name. It is simple, but effective. Cheers that require the crowd to chant should always be kept simple.

Cheers can also be used to try to motivate the team out of a slump of poor performance. For example, the “Push 'em back! Push 'em back! Way back!” cheer is meant to encourage the football team’s defense to push the opposing team’s offense further back away from the goal. Another good defensive cheer is “Defense, defense, get that ball!”

Cheerleaders should practice the cheers to make sure they know the words to each cheer. They should also practice to make sure their words are clear and well articulated. There are exercises that can help cheering, such as practicing cheers while lying on the ground. When lying down, the sound resonates from the stomach rather than the throat and helps strengthen the cheerleader’s voice.

The music used in cheerleading routines is also an important part of getting the crowd motivated. Whereas in the past, cheerleading music was often simply hit songs heard on the radio, now the music is often mixes of exciting, high impact music.

Cheerleading music mixes can be made by the coach, the choreography, someone on the squad, or can even be purchased online. Some companies offer pre-made mixes while others will create a special custom mix just for your routine.

Cheerleading cheers and music is a key element to helping motivate the crowd to cheer the team on to victory. Choosing the right cheer and music at the right time and making sure it is uplifting is very important.